BBC names ex-Google executive Matt Brittin its new director-general as
it faces a feud with Trump
[March 26, 2026] By
JILL LAWLESS
LONDON (AP) — Former Google executive Matt Brittin was named as the
BBC's new director-general on Wednesday, taking the helm at the U.K.’s
national broadcaster as it faces an uncertain future and a $10 billion
lawsuit from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Brittin, 57, who has a background in tech, rather than traditional
broadcasting, spent almost two decades at Google, becoming the company’s
president in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He is also a former
consultant at management consultancy McKinsey,
BBC Chairman Samir Shah said Brittin brings a “deep experience of
leading a high-profile and highly complex organization through
transformation” and arrives as the BBC faces “radical reform.”
Brittin said the 104-year-old BBC is “an extraordinary, uniquely British
asset.”
“Now, more than ever, we need a thriving BBC that works for everyone in
a complex, uncertain and fast changing world,” he said in a statement.
Brittin, who will start his new role on May 18, succeeds Tim Davie, who
resigned in November over criticism of how the broadcaster edited a
speech Trump made on Jan. 6, 2021, before some of the president's
supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
A BBC documentary aired days before the 2024 presidential election
spliced together three quotes from the speech into what appeared to be
one quote in which Trump urged supporters to march with him and “fight
like hell.”
Trump is suing the broadcaster for defamation in a Florida court,
accusing the BBC of broadcasting a “false, defamatory, deceptive,
disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious depiction” of him, and of “a
brazen attempt to interfere in and influence” the 2024 presidential
election.
Shah has apologized to Trump over the edited speech, admitting that it
gave “the impression of a direct call for violent action.” But the BBC
rejects claims it defamed the president and has asked the federal court
in the Southern District of Florida to dismiss the suit, arguing that
the case could have a “chilling effect” on robust reporting on public
figures and events. It also says the case should be thrown out because
the documentary was never aired in Florida or the U.S.
The broadcaster is also facing a once-a-decade process of renewing its
governing charter, which sets out how much public money it will receive.
The BBC is funded by an annual license fee — currently set at 174.50
pounds ($230) — which is paid by all U.K. households who watch live TV
or any BBC content.
[to top of second column] |
President of EMEA Business and Operations for Google, Matt
Brittin is seen at the London headquarters of Google and YouTube in
King's Cross, London, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017. (Tolga Akmen/Pool
Photo via AP, File)
 The license fee has long had
opponents, not least rival commercial broadcasters, and they have
grown louder in an era of digital streaming when many people no
longer have television sets or follow traditional TV schedules.
The center-left Labour government says it will ensure the BBC has
“sustainable and fair” funding but has not ruled out replacing the
license fee with another funding model.
Brittin said the BBC faces “a moment of real risk, yet also real
opportunity.”
He added: “The BBC needs the pace and energy to be both where
stories are, and where audiences are. To build on the reach, trust
and creative strengths today, confront challenges with courage, and
thrive as a public service fit for the future. I can’t wait to start
this work.”
Founded in 1922 as a radio service, the BBC operates 15 U.K.
national and regional TV channels, several international channels,
10 national radio stations, dozens of local radio stations, the
globe-spanning World Service radio and copious digital output,
including the iPlayer streaming service.
It broadcasts reams of sports and entertainment programming,
including shows such as “Doctor Who,” “EastEnders,” “The Traitors”
and “Strictly Come Dancing.”
But it’s the BBC’s news output that draws the most scrutiny. The
broadcaster is bound by the terms of its charter to be impartial in
its output and is frequently a political football, with
conservatives seeing a leftist slant in its news programs and some
liberals accusing it of having a conservative bias.
The BBC is seeking a new chief executive to lead its news and
current affairs division after Deborah Turness quit alongside Davie
in November.
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